(Santa Ana) – A bat found near the lake at Irvine Regional Park at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 27, 2015 has tested positive for rabies. Anyone who may have had physical contact with this bat or saw someone else having contact with the bat is asked to call Orange County Health Care Agency Epidemiology at (714) 834-8180 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or (714) 834-7792 after hours to determine the risk for rabies.

The rabies virus is found in an animal’s saliva and is transmitted to people by a bite from a rabid animal. Although very rare, contamination of the eyes, mouth or an open wound by the saliva of a rabid animal can also transmit rabies. Most cases of human rabies in the United States in recent years have resulted from bat strains of rabies; bats have very small teeth, and their bites may go unnoticed. Continue reading→

Garden Grove, CA. The Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District (OCMVCD) is urging residents to report small black and white, day-biting mosquitoes. On October 13th, OCMVCD
responded to complaints of mosquitoes in the City of Mission Viejo. A thorough investigation was conducted and the presence of yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) was confirmed. The yellow fever mosquito can transmit dengue fever, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Continue reading→

OC Company ‘Scoop Up Poop’ Takes Care of #2 so You Have More Time for #1 – You!

Irvine, CA February 13, 2015: Do you smell that Orange County? Neither do we! Our yards and trash cans aren’t filled with dog poop anymore. If you are like us, you just don’t have time to clean up after your dog. After a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is scoop up poop! And you definitely have better things to do on weekends. Well we have good news for you, Irvine based company, Scoop Up Poop Pet Waste Removal, will come clean up after your pets for you.

The company offers residential and commercial waste removal to the entire OC, cleaning up as often as the owner wants — weekly, multiple times per week, bi-weekly, or monthly. The most popular choice for single dog owners is once a week, and twice a week for multiple dog owners. One-time cleanups also are available, such as before a large event. Commercially, the company services apartment and condo complexes that allow pets. They will also clean up at kennels, at parades, dog shows, or anything else that needs a professional Pooper Scooper. Continue reading→

(Santa Ana, CA) — Emergency planning is well underway in Orange County in response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The risk of contracting Ebola in the United States and in Orange County is very low; there are currently no cases of Ebola in California and no suspect cases. County officials are reviewing communicable disease response plans and conducting drills to exercise those plans.

County officials have developed extensive preparedness procedures in coordination with other local, state and national partners, including the Orange County Health Care Agency, Orange County Sheriff’s Department and its Emergency Management Division, John Wayne Airport,the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Los Angeles County Public Health Lab, which is a CDC-designated site with the capability to test for Ebola. Continue reading→

(Santa Ana) – The Orange County Health Care Agency has received confirmation from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that three patients in Orange County have tested positive for enterovirus D68. The three patients, all of them children, are unrelated and are not linked with any community outbreak of the illness.

There has been an increase in enterovirus D68 reported across the country over the last few months, resulting in enhanced surveillance locally. “Due to the heightened awareness and surveillance for enterovirus D68, it is not surprising to identify cases in Orange County’” said Dr. Eric Handler, Public Health Officer. Individual cases of enterovirus D68 have also been reported in communities throughout the state, including several counties in Southern California, but outbreaks of respiratory illness have not been reported in California. Continue reading→

Measles Outbreak in Orange CountyMMR Vaccine Highly Recommended

(Santa Ana) – Orange County has twenty-one confirmed cases of measles in 2014, the most reported by any county in California. The Health Care Agency expects that the measles outbreak will continue to spread, and reminds the public that the best way to prevent the measles is by getting vaccinated.

Five of the 21 cases have been children, none of them immunized. Five have been healthcare workers who became ill after exposure to measles cases. The Health Care Agency will take every precaution to prevent outbreaks in health care facilities, schools and daycare facilities. Unimmunized children, school and daycare staff, and healthcare workers who are exposed to the measles will be instructed to stay home for up to 21 days after exposure. Continue reading→

(Santa Ana) – The Orange County Health Care Agency has confirmed three cases of measles in Orange County in the last six weeks. These cases are unrelated and thus far have not resulted in transmission to other Orange County residents. In the last five years, Orange County has only seen zero to one case of the measles per year. The Orange County Health Care Agency reminds people that the way to protect yourself and your family against the measles is to get the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. Continue reading→